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ROC LAWMAKERS TO VISIT U.S. MILITARY BASES FOR ARMS PROCUREMENT PLAN

2004-06-14 20:29:11

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) The United States will arrange for a group
of Taiwan lawmakers to visit major U.S. military bases later this
week to seek their support for a huge budget for Taiwan's new arms
procurement projects, government sources said Monday.

According to an itinerary revealed by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, the legislative delegation will also meet with senior
officials of the U.S. National Security Council, the Department of
State and the Department of Defense, in addition to visiting a U.S.
P-3C anti-submarine aircraft base and a Patriot PAC-III
missile base.

At the U.S. invitation, the 14-member delegation of lawmakers
from across the political spectrum, led by Legislative Yuan President
Wang Jin-pyng, will leave for Hawaii Thursday.

The delegation will first visit the U.S. Pacific Command in
Hawaii to receive a briefing on the general regional security
situation and visit a P-3C anti-submarine aircraft base.

The delegation will then travel to Washington, D.C. via San
Francisco. In the company of ROC Representative to the United States
Chen Chien-Jen, the delegation will visit relevant U.S.
administrative departments June 21 and exchange views with their
senior officials on Taiwan's defense needs.

On the following day, the delegation will be briefed on special
functions of the weaponry systems that the United States intends to
sell to Taiwan. The mission will also meet with U.S. congressmen
before leaving for Texas June 24 to visit a U.S. Patriot PAC-III
missile base. The delegation is scheduled to return to Taipei June
28.

The Cabinet has approved a special military budget of NT$610.8
billion (US$18.2 billion) for the purchase of advanced weaponry from
the United States amid mounting mainland Chinese military threats.

The draft budget calls for the procurement of eight submarines, a
modified version of the Patriot PAC-III anti-missile system and a
squadron of 12 P3-C anti-submarine aircraft over a 15-year period
starting in 2005. The United States offered to sell the military
hardware to Taiwan in 2001 as part of its most comprehensive arms
package to the island since 1992.

The special budget bill is now pending approval of the
opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan.

As many lawmakers have criticized the proposed submarine
procurement project as being too expensive, Defense Minister Lee Jye
met with Legislative Yuan President Wang Monday to brief him on a new
two-stage budget plan formula for the submarine deal.

Lee said he hopes the legislature will pass the draft budget plan
for the eight submarines first, to allow the Ministry of National
Defense (MND) to negotiate detailed terms with the United States.

The MND will furnish the legislature a more detailed budget plan
after it comes to a conclusion with the U.S. authorities on how the
eight submarines will be built, Lee said. There could be three
options for construction of the submarines -- U.S. contractors could
build them, they could cooperate with other foreign contractors, or
they could cooperate with Taiwan's China Shipbuilding Corporation
(CSBC) . It has been estimated that the cost will increase by NT$80
billion if Taiwan insists on the CSBC participating in the
construction.

Wang said this two-stage budget plan formula might be more
acceptable to lawmakers.

Members of Wang's mission will include three legislators
from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, three from the
opposition Kuomintang, four from the opposition People First Party,
two from the Taiwan Solidarity Union and two independent lawmakers.

The legislature went into summer recess last Friday and it
remains uncertain whether the legislature will call an extra session
to screen the draft arms procurement budget bill.